The Haines moose hunt closed three days early this year after hunters reached the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s 25-bull harvest guideline.
“We closed it because we try not to go way over the objective to ensure there are legal bulls around for next year and that enough breeding bulls remain in the population,” wildlife biologist Carl Koch said.
Hunters hit the 25-bull limit on Friday, Oct. 2, prompting the department to close the hunt Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
Hunters are required to turn in moose within three days. As of Wednesday afternoon, 29 moose had been reported, including one that is still under investigation, according to Koch.
The four sublegal moose harvested this year were donated—one went to Haines School, one to Klukwan and one to local church organizations. Koch said he doesn’t know what happened to the fourth moose.
Koch said another notable aspect of this year’s hunt was an increase in reports of bear activity.
The 2020 moose hunt had been scheduled to end Oct. 7. The last time the Haines moose hunt closed early was in 2017.
Many areas in the Chilkat Valley remain open for black bear and mountain goat hunting.